Recently, cases of teen pregnancies and Gender-Based Violence in Kwale county were reported to have dropped by 20 per cent.
Data shows that the cases plunged from 35 per cent in 2022 to 15 per cent in January 2024.
However, it took a lot of effort and intervention from the county and various stakeholders to suppress the menace of teen pregnancies.
Many enthusiasts and dedicated women and men volunteered to end the scourge and save young lives from further devastation.
Janice Wairimu is a peer educator from Vanga in the Lunga-Lunga subcounty who stood up to support campaigns against GBVs and enhance awareness in the most remote villages of the county.
She was assigned to Mwereni and Dzombo wards, where teen pregnancies, child marriages and other social ills had piled up and destroyed many children’s lives.
Wairimu is among the many stakeholders who received technical support from a non-profit German organisation the Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) in partnership with Sauti ya Wanawake, a Coast-based women's affairs NGO.
Wairimu and several others were part and parcel of a two-year programme titled 'Connect A Girl'. Its focus was to improve sexual reproduction health and empowerment of women through the acceleration of the implementation of at least two policies for prevention and response to SGBVs.
The programme was unveiled in 2022 and ended in February this year after realising its specific objectives.
Wairimu said they volunteered and the NGOs provided the necessary human rights and advocacy training in the quest to end GBV.
“Teen pregnancy cases among other issues had reached alarming rates, and that’s why when the project came, I never hesitated to join and become part of the solution to bring change in the society,” she said.
Wairimu said the training sessions were continuous and added more insights and inputs towards ending the GBVs and empowering girls and women in Kwale.
THE NUMBERS
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014 report, Kwale had the highest rate of sexual exploitation and violence, with more than 79.2 per cent of women and girls being survivors.
The average pregnancy rate for 10-19 years was 35.44 per cent.
The report further said forced and child marriages in Kwale were common, with 37.9 per cent of the girls married at the age of 16.
The KDHS 2014 data also revealed that women make up 75 per cent of the agricultural labour force in Kwale, but only one per cent own land.
DSW project officer Stephen Kibindio said the programme came in place to build the capacity of youth and women on policy analysis and improve their understanding of GBVs and enhance the uptake of policy solutions from women and girls in Kwale.
He said the project also aimed to speed up interventions and formulation of proper policies to strengthen the fight against human rights injustices.
The project targeted rural women and girls between 0-17 and 18-21 years.
About 35 adolescent and youth champions were trained in advocacy.
Kibindio said the youth went to the grassroots to educate and create awareness on the Kwale County Gender Bill, which was signed into law.
"The training enhanced the adolescent and youth champions on policy analysis and better engagement with policies during public hearings," Kibindio said.
"Ten youth champions participated in public participation at the ward level to voice their peers' proposals on the Kwale SGBV Protection Bill 2023."
He said the enactment of the bill was crucial since it provides a legal framework for the protection of GBV victims and offers proper structures and legal frameworks to fast-track cases against the vice and hold perpetrators accountable.
Kibindio said the bill seeks to establish an SGBV Board to spearhead the development of policies (County Action Plan for Prevention and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence).
The officer said the bill will lead to the construction of rescue and recovery centres for SGBV victims in county and subcounty health facilities.
Kibindio said SGBV victims will have access to medical, security, legal and psychosocial services in a one-stop centre, unlike before, when very few could afford proper justice and support.
GENDER BILL
The bill was signed last year in October by Governor Fatuma Achani, making Kwale the fourth county to pass the bill after Vihiga, Nairobi and Kisumu.
The bill was first introduced to the county assembly in 2016 but took long to be approved.
However, through the efforts of various rights organisations, such as DSW, Sauti ya Wanawake and Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa, the bill was afterwards signed into, law bringing an end to an eight-year battle of push and pull.
Kwale Gender Committee chairperson Racheal Mutisya said the current county assembly was passionate about addressing the swelling GBV cases in Kwale.
She said the Connect A Girl project and several rights organisations’ gender programmes provided a conducive environment for streamlining the structure of the gender policy, leading to its approval.
Mutisya said the bill will further streamline the legal processes and support the county in its commitment to end GBV by 2030.
"This bill is set to reinforce the county's efforts to protect its citizens, particularly women and girls, from all forms of gender-based violence," she said.
She said it will also strengthen existing laws and provide a comprehensive framework to tackle gender-based violence effectively and assist victims to heal and reintegrate into society.
Gender and Special Interest Committee member Judy Kengo said the bill had been delayed because locals, especially men, were against it.
She said most people thought the gender bill was designed to oppress men.
Kengo said through the support of rights organisations and the Connect A Girl project, the county assembly created proper awareness through public participation and helped meet the required threshold for the adoption of the bill.
The lawmaker said it also took a combined effort between the executive, county assembly, stakeholders and the community to make the bill a success.
The county Gender Act is yet to be implemented as the county plans on budget allocation and finalising some remaining paperwork.
ACHIEVEMENTS REALISED
Saum Luvuno, a moderator under the Connect A Girl project, said the dialogues on various forms of GBVs in schools helped to quell the swollen cases of injustices against children.
She said many schoolchildren opened up, resulting in the processing of some of the unknown GBV cases and culprits held accountable.
Luvuno said the community was at first harsh but transformed and joined the fight against GBVs.
Moderator Mesaidi Rumbi said the programme has helped girls to improve their academic performance and self-esteem.
She said many girls were raised to accept injustices because of old cultural practices, but the initiative changed views.
Rumbi said more people are now coming out and seeking legal services against GBVs.
County adolescent and youth health coordinator Mohammed Mwachakure said the youth, through the Connect A Girl project, greatly assisted in reducing GBV cases in Kwale.
He said before the inception of the project, youth’s health on HIV status and teen pregnancies was pathetic and in the spotlight.
Nana Mafimbo, county coordinator for HIV-Aids and sexually related diseases, noted in December that infection rates among youth of age 18-25 years are still high.
Some 14,300 Kwale residents are under HIV treatment, of which 2,000 are adolescents and young people below 25 years.
However, Mwachakure said the Connect A Girl project enlightened community members and youth to become responsible on matters of health, advocacy and championing the war against GBVs.
He said the lives of many girls and youth have been transformed and empowered.
"The training package was about improving sexual health, which is a major cause of teen pregnancies and HIV infections among the youth," he said.
"And the two years were very successful. The changes are very significant."
Mwachakure said the trained youth were facilitated to reach out to community members to advocate women's rights and identify possible challenges and solutions to better the lives of the female gender and the entire society.
County gender officer Nelly Amoite said the initiative revolutionised the war on GBVs, especially teen pregnancy and child marriages in Kwale.
Amoite said NGOs like DSW, Sauti ya Wanawake and Naya have been pushing for the rights of women and girls and the adoption of the county Gender Bill, 2023, which has proved to be productive.
The gender officer said the awareness programmes enabled survivors to come out and share their stories and seek legal procedures for justice.
She said before, most people lacked knowledge of what GBV is and tolerated the injustices.
Amoite said more victims are now reporting GBV cases because they are informed, leading to the reduction of teen pregnancy.
"The results are pleasing, thanks to the strong partnership between the two levels of governments and NGOs," she said.
She said DSW and other partners have been supporting gender-set working groups to address the gender issues for girls, women and PWDs.
The officer said the programme has linked girls and women to empowerment programmes to improve their lives.
Amoite said the government will continue to work closely with various stakeholders to promote gender-related topics and ensure existing gender laws are implemented.
County children's officer Zaphania Apoko said the project has enlightened the community that women and girls have equal rights to education, health and development.
He said, previously, pregnancy cases among girls aged 10-19 were alarming, but the trend has changed, thanks to the Connect A Girl programme.
Apoko said through the project, there is increased participation in development among girls and women.
He said both men and women are now striving to achieve equity in leadership, property ownership and development.
CHALLENGES FACED
One of the project moderators, Katiba Mkungu, said the community was hostile and waged a strong battle with whoever wanted to change their beliefs and cultures.
He said many people, especially the male gender, thought that the programme wanted to mislead their wives and girls.
Mkungu said even some of the women had bought the idea that men’s decisions are final and colluded with GBV perpetrators to marry off their girls, thus making it hard to convince them otherwise.
Wairimu said illiteracy and lack of awareness were a great challenge to the advocacy campaigns.
She said many members of the community were clueless about GBV matters and had accepted the problem as part of their lifestyle.
Wairimu said financial constraints were also an issue since it was voluntary work and the organisations only facilitated transport, yet the community expected more from them.
She said most people wouldn’t like to attend the training sessions if they won’t get money in return.
“The community always expected something from us and in reality, we had nothing to give but knowledge, and it took us a lot of effort to convince them,” she said.